Topic: Justice
Anybody may become defenceless in the face of the state’s power.
Rights groups denounce anti-Romani statements by the Ombudsman
Hungarian Rights Groups Denounce Anti-Romani Statements by Hungary’s Parliamentary Commissioner for Civil Rights On 2 April 2009, Dr Máté Szabó, Parliamentary Commissioner for Civil Rights, stated in an interview with the online news portal FigyelőNet, … Read more
The HHC requests the Constitutional Court to abolish actual life sentence
Lifelong imprisonment without the possibility of parole was introduced in 1999 into Hungarian criminal law. In the EU at present Hungary and the United Kingdom are the only Member States that allow imposing a so-called “actual life … Read more
NGOs criticise the President of Hungary regarding his statements on attacks against the Roma
The HHC, the Eötvös Károly Institute, the Legal Defense Bureau for National and Ethnic Minorities, the Roma Civil Rights Foundation and the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union addressed President László Sólyom in a joint letter. The … Read more
HHC opposes Hungarian three strikes law
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee opposes the proposed amendments of the Hungarian Criminal Code, introducing the idea of “three strikes” into the Hungarian criminal law system. The HHC claims that the proposal infringes the constitutional principle that criminal sanctions … Read more
Court ruled for HHC: police are obliged to provide data on ex officio appointed defence counsels
In June 2008 the HHC sent a public interest information request to all Budapest-based police stations to find out in how many cases the police had appointed ex officio defense counsels in mandatory defense cases … Read more
Conference on actual life long imprisonment
Lifelong imprisonment without the possibility of parole was introduced in 1999 into Hungarian criminal law. In the EU at present Hungary and the United Kingdom are the only Member States that allow imposing a so-called “actual life … Read more
Joint NGO statement on the racist statements of Miskolc police chief
On 30 January 2009, Albert Pásztor, head of the Miskolc Police Headquarters held a press conference concerning robberies committed in the city of Miskolc. After the press conference, where he mentioned that all the robberies … Read more
Anti-discrimination trainings for police officers and Police College students (2009)
This project, carried out in 2009, was aimed at decreasing racism among police officers and contributing to the development of an organizational culture of tolerance within the Hungarian police force. In order to achieve this … Read more
Steps Towards a Transparent Appointment System in Criminal Legal Aid (2009-2011)
In June 2008 the HHC sent a public interest information request to all Budapest-based police stations to find out in how many cases the police had appointed ex officio defense counsels in mandatory defense cases … Read more
Control(led) Group – Final Report on the Strategies for effective Police stop and Search (STEPSS) Project
Authors: András Kádár, Júlia Körner, Zsófia Moldova, Balázs Tóth
Hungarian Helsinki Committee, Budapest, 2008
ISBN: 978-963-88228-1-9A Matter of Trust – Research on Complaints Filed Against Police Measures in 2005
Author: Ildikó Ritter
Hungarian Helsinki Committee, Budapest, 2008
ISBN: 978-963-87757-2-6Advocating the Abolishment of Actual Life Sentence (2008-2009)
Lifelong imprisonment without the possibility of parole (actual life sentence) was introduced into Hungarian criminal law in 1998. Hungary and the UK are the only EU Member States whose legal system makes it possible to impose a so-called “actual life sentence” on perpetrators of serious crimes.
Submissions to the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI)
Comments of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee: The Hungarian Helsinki Committee’s comments to the Third Report on Hungary by ECRI (26 March 2008) The Hungarian Helsinki Committee’s comments regarding the developments following the Second Report on Hungary by ECRI … Read more
Promoting the Idea of Establishing Independent Police Complaints Bodies in the CEE Region (2008-2009)
Partly as a result of the HHC’s advocacy efforts, a new body for examining complaints against the police, the Independent Police Complaints Board (IPCB) was established by a June 2007 amendment of the Police Act. … Read more
Promoting Ratication of the OPCAT and the NPM’s operation (2008-2013)
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee has been advocating for the ratification and the proper implementation of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture. Below the most important steps and developments of the project can be consulted.
Effective Defense Rights in the EU and Access to Justice: Investigating and Promoting Best Practices (2008-2009)
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee takes part in a comparative research project ‘Effective Defence Rights in the European Union and Access to Justice: Investigating and Promoting Best Practices’ project. The project is the initiative of four … Read more
Without Defense – Recommendations for the Reform of the Hungarian Ex Officio Appointment System in Criminal Matters
Authors: András Kádár, Balázs Tóth, István Vavró
Hungarian Helsinki Committee, Budapest, 2007
ISBN: 978 963 86959 6 3Reforming Police Complaint Mechanisms (2007-2008)
The Hungarian system of complaints against unlawful police action has been criticised being dysfunctional due to systemic and procedural reasons. The most important flaw was that the police rather than an independent body decided all … Read more
The Right to Effective Defense and the Reform of the Ex Officio Appointment System (2007-2009)
The lack of an efficient criminal legal aid system is especially detrimental to indigent pre-trial detainees and defendants in general. Fair and effective access to criminal justice to those who cannot afford to retain a … Read more